24 Hours in Vientiane, Laos - A Quick Guide to the Capital
The quiet capital of Laos is often overlooked by backpackers and travellers but there is so much more to it than meets the eye. Read our guide to get the most out of your time in Vientiane. From the massive mystical sculptures of the Buddha Park to the riverside markets and cute cafes, Vientiane has something to offer any kind of traveller. Our guide covers everything you need to know, from booking tickets on the high speed railway to flights, buses and our favourite hotel and accommodation recommendations.
Clinging to the banks of the Mekong River sits the Laotian capital of Vientiane. This sleepy, laidback city is stuffed full of beautiful temples, amazing riverside views and bustling night markets. A world away from its megacity neighbours of Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, Vientiane still retains a small town feel, full of Laotian charm, tree-lined streets and a mix of traditional Laos and French Colonial architecture.
For many travellers, the Laos capital is often overlooked, merely a transfer point to switch between buses, hop on the high-speed rail or to catch a flight elsewhere, but if you can, Vientiane deserves a stop, at least for a night or two. The city has plenty to keep you occupied and once you’re done with sightseeing, there’s no shortage of coffee shops, bars, restaurants and street food to try!
This is our guide on what there is to do and how to fill your time even if you only have 24 hours in Vientiane.
In this Vientiane travel guide:
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Where is Vientiane?
Vientiane is located in northern Laos and can be found on a map here.
The city is located around a 2 hour (130 KM) drive south of Vang Vieng, a 7 hour (310 KM) drive south of the UNESCO World Heritage city of Luang Prabang and a 6 hour (330 KM) drive north of Thakhek. These travel times can be cut down massively by using the new high speed rail line - more on this later.
Despite being the capital of Laos, the city of Vientiane feels very small and easily walkable. For attractions a little further away from your accommodation you can easily hail a tuk tuk / songthaew off the streets or request a ride with the LOCA taxi app.
To use the LOCA ride-hailing app you will need a Laotian SIM card. To save yourself the hassle of arranging a SIM card when you touch down in Laos, we’d recommend checking out an e-SIM. We’ve arranged a Laotian SIM card with Airalo in advance on both our two most recent trips and they’ve saved us so much time and hassle. When we crossed the border from Thailand we were immediately able to hail a taxi to transfer us from the border to the high-speed railway using the LOCA app.
Check out all the Laotian e-SIMS available on Airalo here.
How to get to Vientiane?
Vientiane by bus
The cheapest and most budget friendly way to reach Vientiane will be by bus.
Bus routes across the whole of Laos serve the capital, so wherever you may be, you’ll never struggle to get to Vientiane by bus. The most popular bus routes for travellers heading to Vientiane are:
Vang Vieng to Vientiane
Thakhek to Vientiane
If you’re travelling to Vientiane from the north, buses will drop you off at Vientiane’s Northern Bus Terminal (location) or if you’re travelling to Vientiane from Southern Laos, buses will drop you off at Vientiane’s Southern Bus Terminal (location).
For those who have booked your bus tickets through a tour agency, check whether your ticket includes a drop off to your accommodation. We booked a bus from Vang Vieng and it dropped us straight off at our hotel.
Bus tickets can be booked at bus stations or through tour agencies. Or if you’d prefer to have everything booked in advance, we’d recommend booking tickets with 12Go.
If you are booking bus tickets, as with all bus journeys in Laos, expect any ride to be stuffed to the rafters with people, produce and luggage. Prepare for a bumpy ride!
Vientiane by train
The Laos / China high speed railway line connects Vientiane with Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, Luang Namtha and onto the border with China. Train journeys on this new modern line are super speedy, with the journey time from Vang Vieng being only one hour and the previously 8 hour journey to Luang Prabang only taking two hours!
We’ve ridden the rails and can confirm it's a super comfy, super modern and super speedy way to travel in Laos. In what felt like a blink of an eye we were suddenly arriving at our destination.
Tickets for the train can only be booked 3 days in advance, so we’d recommend booking your tickets online via 12Go who can pre-purchase the tickets for you.
If you’re planning to head to Vientiane by train, you will arrive at Vientiane’s Railway Station (location) in the north of the city.
Vientiane by flight
Wattay International Airport (location) sits around 5 KM east from central Vientiane.
If you’re planning to travel by air whilst in Laos, you can catch an internal flight to Vientiane from Luang Prabang, Pakse, Sam Neua or Savannakhet.
For those travelling internationally, there are flights to Vientiane from Bangkok Thailand, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam, Phnom Penh Cambodia and more.
From the airport you can catch the airport bus which takes a circular route to and from the airport with a stop at Vientiane’s Central Bus Station (location) marking the halfway point of the route. Tickets for the airport bus cost 40,000 kip per person. If you’d prefer a taxi transfer, taxi fares from the airport to the centre of the city start at 150,000 kip.
To book a taxi transfer from the airport to the city, click here.
What to do in Vientiane?
Even if you only have 24 hours in Vientiane, there’s plenty to keep you occupied. Here’s just some ideas on how you could fill your time.
Patuxai Victory Monument
(Location)
Built in the style of the famous Arch De Triomph of Paris but with a Laotian twist, the Patuxai Victory Monument (also known as Patuxay) sits towering over a huge square, fountain and green lawns.
This enormous stone monument has four archways on all sides of its base. On top of the arches, four towers sit guarding the corners of the monument, each surrounding a slightly taller tower that crowns the centre. The monument’s arches and towers are decorated with intricate carvings, showing Buddhist figures. Inside, underneath the archway the whole ceiling has been painted in blue and gold with more Buddhist imagery and Hindu deities.
The Patuxai Victory Monument was built in 1968, and serves as a war memorial to commemorate the Laotians who lost their lives during World War 2 and the fight for independence against the colonial French. The word Patuxai in Laotian can be translated as ‘victory gate’.
The monument is sometimes referred to as the ‘Vertical Runway' a nickname donned by locals thanks to the history of the monuments construction. In the late 1950s, America donated Laos money to build a new airport. This all sounds lovely, but unfortunately for the American’s no formal agreement was ever signed and so the Laos authorities decided to use the money to build the Patuxai Victory Monument instead! To learn more, check out this Atlas Obscura article.
You can walk around or underneath the Patuxai monument for free, but we'd say it's worth paying the extra 30,000 kip entrance fee to climb to the top.
The view from the top is not quite the Champs D’Elysee but gives a sweeping panorama over the city's rooftops, glinting temples and tree-lined streets. There is also a small museum inside as you head up.
A new addition to the monument since our first first visit is the daily fountain and light show that takes place at 6PM. We've not had the pleasure of viewing this dancing ourselves, but let us know in the comments if you have!
Entry fee to Patuxai Victory Monument:
Free, but tickets cost 30,000 kip per person to head to the viewpoint on top.
Opening times:
Open everyday from 8.30 AM until 5 PM.
Pha That Luang Stupa and Temple
(location)
Pha That Luang is a big stone square stupa painted in shimmering gold sitting in the centre of a walled courtyard surrounded by temples and shrines. At the base of the stupa sit a collection of mini stupas that completely enclose the main central chedi that rises up over the red and gold rooftops of the surrounding temples.
Inside the temple buildings you’ll see Buddhist paintings, wooden carvings and different statues of the Buddha.
Pha That Luang is an incredibly peaceful place and we spent a good while exploring the temples and watching as locals and devotees leave offerings. Before you leave, don't miss seeing the big, reclined golden Buddha statue.
Pha That Luang is only a 5 minute drive or 30 minute walk away from Patuxai Victory Monument, meaning that both attractions can easily be combined in a morning or afternoon.
Outside the temple grounds there are plenty of stalls selling snacks, soft drinks and temple offerings.
As it’s a hugely important religious site, please dress respectfully. Shoulders and knees need to be covered. Upon entry, you may be asked to borrow a sarong at 5000 kip rental fee - if you are a lady you may be asked to wear the sarong even if you are wearing trousers.
Entry fee to Pha That Luang:
Tickets cost 30,000 kip per person.
Opening times:
Open everyday from 8 AM until 5 PM. During religious festivals the temple will be very busy with locals.
COPE Visitor Centre
(location)
Whenever you research the country of Laos, almost always the first thing you’ll learn is that despite never being at war, Laos is the most bombed country on earth. During the ‘Secret War’ it is estimated that over 9 years, the US dropped the equivalent of over 2 million tonnes of ordnance over Laos. This is equal to a plane load of bombs being dropped over the country every 8 minutes for 24 hours a day, every day over this 9 year period.
Unfortunately the effects of this secret bombing campaign are still being felt today with hundreds and hundred of Laotians being killed, injured or maimed by the explosives hidden deep in the earth.
The COPE Visitor Centre sits adjacent to Centre for Medical Rehabilitation and helps visitors to understand the history, the on-going impact UXO (unexploded ordnance) has on Laos and how COPE and other organisations are helping to rehabilitate and educate those impacted by the bomb.
Inside the COPE Visitor Centre you’ll find sculptures made up of prosthetic legs, curtains of cluster bombs hanging from the ceiling and first hand accounts of the on-going impacts UXO has on Laos all these decades later.
Visiting any museum about the impacts of war and its consequences is never easy, but the COPE Visitor Centre manages to tow the line between informative and educational without being too graphic. It’s a dark period of history for Laos, and one that’s still being felt today, but the achievements in clearing some of the UXO by the organisations of COPE, MAG, UXO and countless other charities across Laos is something to be celebrated.
Outside the COPE Visitor Center there is a small cafe and toilets on-site.
Entry fee to the COPE Visitor Centre:
Entry is free but if you can, please donate whatever you can to this worthy cause. There is also a gift shop on site with profits from any purchases being given to the COPE charity.
Opening times:
Open everyday from 8.30 AM until 5 PM.
Buddha Park - Wat Xieng Khouane Luang
(location)
Sitting alongside the Mekong River a short way outside of Vientiane lies the mysterious Wat Xieng Khouane Luang, or Buddha Park as it’s more commonly known. This riverside park is crammed full with over 200 humongous Buddhist and Hindu stone statues. From a massive reclining Buddha to a 2-headed elephant statue, the park has statues rising up from its green lawns like you have stumbled into a giant’s garden. As you wander around you’ll pass by huge demons staring down at you, animal statues entwined with dancing deities and massive naga heads draped in orange offerings.
This bizarre park was first created in 1958 by the Lao artists Bunleua Sulilat who built both the Buddha Park in Vientiane and the neighbouring Sala Keo Kou Buddha Park located just over the Mekong in Nong Khai, Thailand. We have been lucky to have visited both parks and we just love the creative chaos of the atmosphere in both parks.
Unfortunately the central spherical sculpture (often referred to as the ‘pumpkin’) which you could climb to the top of for an amazing panoramic view over the whole park is currently closed for repairs. We’re hoping this re-opens soon as the view from the top was fantastic and the climb inside the stone sphere fun and interesting! From the top you could really get an idea of the scale of some of these sculptures.
There are toilets available inside the park and a small restaurant and plenty of food stalls outside.
If you’re heading to the park, it’s located about a 40 minutes drive outside of the city to the east along the Mekong. You can easily arrange a tuk tuk or taxi to take you to and from the park or if you’re budget backpackers like us you could hop on the public bus.
Just take the number 14 bus from Vientiane’s Central Bus Station (location) and ask the conductor for a ticket to Buddha Park. A ticket will cost you 18,000 kip per person. Once you’ve finished exploring the park, to head back to Vientiane, just exit the park and cross the road to the bus stop and wait for a bus to take you back to the city.
Entry fee to Buddha Park / Wat Xieng Khouane Luang
Tickets cost 60,000 kip per person to enter.
Opening times:
Open everyday from 8 AM until 5 PM and on Sundays from 10 AM until 3.30 PM.
Vientiane’s Daily Night Market
(location)
Open every day, Vientiane's bustling daily night market sprawls out on the banks of the Mekong. Open from sunset until late, the market is your standard SE Asian affair selling all the usual tourist tat. From the ubiquitous elephant pants to Beer Laos singlets, magnets of questionable designs to postcards, whatever you’re collecting for your travel memories, you’ll easily be able to buy it here. The market is always packed full of other travellers and locals, all munching down on street food, sipping bottles of Beer Laos and bartering over goods. Whenever we’re in Vientiane we always head to the market for an evening of souvenir shopping / munching.
For food, there's plenty of stalls selling stuff on sticks, laab and salads as well as roti, ice-cream and other sweet treats. Our go to, and thing we would always recommend in a Laos market is copying the locals by picking up sticks of sliced BBQ belly pork and a steaming pile of sticky rice. It’s super hearty, super moreish and super cheap! For a variety of pork sticks, 2 chicken legs and a huge pile of sticky rice, we usually pay around 60,000 to 85,000 kip. Super budget friendly for those looking for a cheap backpacking feast.
The market is open everyday from 6 to 10 PM.
BBQ meat stalls can be found on the streets all over Vientiane!
Watch the sunset over the Mekong River
We couldn't write a guide to the city without mentioning watching the sunset as something to do. If you've been an avid reader of our blog then you'll know we can never pass up on watching the sun go down. Wherever we are, we love sitting with an ice cold beer and watching as the sky changes; waves of blue shifting to orange, pink to purple. Luckily for us, Vientiane is no exception and provides its own fiery display.
There are plenty of bars and restaurants that offer sunset views, but the best ones in the city are those that line the Mekong. Our favourite bar to enjoy a sunset bevy was the rooftop bar of the Tipsy Elephant Vientiane (location). Offering sunset views over the Mekong River, Thailand and the whole of Vientiane the Tipsy Elephant Bar was perfect for a sundowner. The bar serves beer, cocktails and food.
If you're heading for a sunset drink in Vientiane, particularly in the bars that line the Mekong, expect to pay a little more for beer than elsewhere in Laos - it is after all the country's capital! If you’re after a cheap sundowner beer, look out for ‘Happy Hour’ deals.
Other things to do in Vientiane
As we’ve said at the start of this article, we have been guilty, despite visiting Laos four times now, only spending a day or two in Vientiane. Next time we stay in the city, we would love to stay longer. We feel as though we’ve only just scratched the surface on what there is to do in the city and would love to check out more.
For those interested in history and art, there’s the Lao National Museum (location), the Lao Textile Museum (location) and the Vientiane Fine Arts Museum (location).
There is also the Ho Phrakeo Museum and Temple (location) located just next door to the Presidential Palace as well as Wat Sisaket (location) and Wat Si Muang (location).
We’re also eager to explore more of its street food scene and markets by just wandering around the city and seeing what we can find - always the best way to get to know a city!
Vientiane guided tours
If you’re really short on time and want to cram as many of Vientiane’s attractions into one day without the hassle of arranging transport, then why not book a guided tour of the city.
Get Your Guide offers lots of different tours from cultural and history tours, market and street food tours and even the chance to cook up a Laotian feast!
Book your Vientiane guided tour here.
Where to stay in Vientiane - accommodation in the Laos capital
Our favourite hotel
Being the capital of Laos, there’s no shortage of hotels, hostels and guesthouses on offer in the city.
During all our stays in the city, we’ve always splashed the cash a little and stayed in the excellent Bloom Boutique Hotel and Cafe. The hotel is centrally located with beautifully decorated rooms with super comfy double beds, clean en-suite and a delicious cafe downstairs. We’ve loved all our stays here and can highly recommend it.
To book your stay at Bloom Boutique Hotel click (here).
How to book accommodation in Vientiane
If you’re after hostels or even fancier hotels, there’s plenty on offer. Just enter your travel dates and search the map below for all accommodation available in Vientiane.
Where to go after Vientiane?
Being the capital of Laos, you pretty much have the whole of Laos at your fingertips and could in theory go anywhere, but the majority of travellers will either head north or south.
North from Vientiane
If you want to head north, you can easily catch a bus or train to the backpacker and adventure capital of Vang Vieng, to the UNESCO World Heritage City of Luang Prabang or to Phonsavan and it's mysterious ‘Plains of Jars’.
South from Vientiane
If you’re continuing south, you can catch daily buses that will connect you with Thakhek and the Thakhek Loop, Pakse and the Bolaven Plateau or to the 4000 Islands of Don Det and Don Khon.
Whichever way you go we'd recommend booking your onward travel with 12Go. Check out some of Vientiane's most popular routes below.
There are even sleeper buses that depart the city daily that can take you all the way to Vietnam, Cambodia or Thailand.
Crossing the Thanaleng Border - Laos to Thailand
If you've come to the end of your Laos visa, then Vientiane makes for an easy exit point to cross the border into Thailand.
The Thanaleng Border Crossing (location) is just a short 40 minute drive away from the centre of the city. To get to the border crossing you can arrange a taxi, or for those cheap backpackers (us!), just head to Vientiane’s Central Bus Station (location) to catch a bus to the border. From the Central Bus Station (also known as Khua Din Bus Station) you can catch buses that take you straight to Nong Khai bus station or a bus that’ll just take you to the border.
We’ve taken this route a few times and have always opted for the bus to the border as it is far more frequent,
The number 14 bus leaves every 30 minutes and a ticket to the border will cost 18,000 kip. The 14 bus is also the same bus that takes you to Buddha Park, so if you’re leaving Laos on the same day, you could easily make a stop at the park before crossing the border.
The bus takes about 30 to 40 minutes (depending on traffic / stops) to reach the Thanaleng Border and will drop you right outside the border crossing.
Once you arrive, the process for leaving Laos is super easy. Just hand over your passport and completed exit form to the Laos border control. Then, get your exit stamp from Laos and head to the waiting area to catch a bus which will take you over the Laos / Thailand Friendship Bridge. Unfortunately there is no other way to cross the bridge so unless you want to get stuck in ‘No-Mans Land’ you’re at the mercy of paying the bus fare, but luckily it costs only 20 baht (around 15,000 kip depending on what currency converter they’re using that day). Once you’ve crossed the bridge you’ll be dropped off right outside the Thai Border Control. Head on through, receive your Thailand entry stamp, walk through customs and exit into the carpark. Here you’ll find the usual rush of people selling you SIM cards, taxis and tuk tuks.
From the border at Nong Khai you can hail a songthaew into town or head to the train or bus stations to take you elsewhere in Isan or Thailand.
You can catch both a train or a bus from Nong Khai which will take you all the way to Bangkok. Book your tickets via 12Go here. We did this exact journey (Vientiane to Nong Khai) on our last stay in Laos and it was a super easy journey. We left Vientiane mid-morning and were sitting eating a delicious pad kra pao in Nong Khai by lunchtime.
Should I go to Vientiane?
Absolutely!
Vientiane deserves a stop on any Laos itinerary. The city has a completely different feeling to anywhere else we’ve been in Laos. The city is stuffed full of culture and history, whilst still being full of the mod-cons. As you wander down the streets, you’ll pass by glinting temples, streetside BBQs and colourful market stalls all sitting opposite high-end hotels and glass fronted offices.
Vientiane is a city where even if you have only a day or two you can still enjoy everything it has to offer. The majority of bus and train routes serving northern and southern Laos will mean you’ll have to change in Vientiane, which means there is always an excuse to stay a night or two in the city.
Whatever your plans are, Vientiane deserves a stop. The Laotian capital is completely different to any other capital you’ll find in Asia.
Don’t skip Vientiane.
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
A very young Ellie on her first trip to Vientiane in 2018!
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